Americans At Hogwarts
by Only 1 Twitch
Summary: Some Yanks are accepted to the world's greatest school of magic. (Rated PG for VERY sparse language)
1. Intro

Title: Americans At Hogwarts  
  
Author: Fyrbird  
  
Disclaimer: 1) I'm not J.K. Rowling 2) I'm not Joss Whedon. If I were him, Angel would still have Connor. Grr…  
  
Author's Note: Harry Potter, Hermione, or other students from the books aren't here except for maybe a few, I haven't decided. Hogwarts and the teachers ARE there though along with an extra and some of the roles have changed. There's also some differences in minor details.  
  
Summery: Some Yanks are accepted to the world's greatest school of magic.  
  
  
  
1 Intro  
  
Phoenix Hart quickly walked down the hall of her school. It was the last day and she thanked any major deity that was listening for that fact. She couldn't stand her school, the teachers or her foster parents. Which was why, instead of going home, she was going to the library. It was the one place she found solace, in the quiet musty stacks of the huge city library.  
  
She grabbed her leather jacket and messenger bag, ultimately cleaning out her locker since all of her books were already turned it, and all but flew down the stairs to the fresh air of Los Angeles. There wasn't too much smog so it WAS relatively fresh. She sat off to one side of the steps and strapped on her roller blades, ignoring the others as they passed and talked about what they would do now that school was out. Finally she stood and raced the familiar path to the library. The trip took roughly twenty minutes. She changed footwear next to the large lion out front of the library and went in.  
  
She went to the reference section, the place she spent most of her time and set her bag and jacket on the table. Often times she would pick a topic and research it, just for fun. Most kids her age thought she was a bit odd. The librarian saw her skimming a row of encyclopedias and went over to her. "Whatcha looking for?" she asked.  
  
Phoenix looked up and smiled. "Hey Jessie," she said. "Nothing really. Just trying to find something to look up."  
  
"I got a topic for you," the blonde woman said with a mischievous smile in her blue-green eyes.  
  
"Yeah?" Phoenix asked, raising an eyebrow. "What?"  
  
"How about magic? I don't think you've done that yet," she said.  
  
Phoenix nodded. "True. OK, thanks."  
  
Jessie smiled. "No problem," she said before turning to go back to her desk.  
  
Phoenix tucked her long black hair behind her ear as she turned back to the shelf.  
  
**************************************  
  
Phoenix didn't get home until late. She'd been engrossed in the different books Jessie had helped her find on magic and witchcraft and hadn't noticed the time until the librarian told her the library would close soon.  
  
She crept through the front door of the suburban house she shared with her foster parents, trying to be quiet. As if that ever worked. "Where have you been, Phoenix Katherine?" Amanda, her foster mother said.  
  
"Um, the library," she stuttered.  
  
"Why didn't you come home?" Amanda demanded.  
  
"I just… I wanted to check something out," Phoenix said truthfully.  
  
"Until nine o'clock at night?" she asked incredulously. "I think you can stay home for a few weeks so you can keep track of time better."  
  
Phoenix's jaw clenched but she held her temper at bay; it would be useless to argue anyway. "Fine," she said and went up to her room in the attic.  
  
She sat at the vanity and looked in the mirror. The Hispanic 11-year-old staring back at her looked sad and depressed. Amanda and Derek weren't really that bad but she missed her real parents.  
  
Maria Cortes and Jason Hart had left Phoenix when she was about seven. Literally, she woke up one day and they were gone, no note, nothing. The authorities had searched high and low but they were gone. Foul play was suspected but nothing had been proven. She knew that she'd been born and raised for the first six years of her life in Madrid, Spain and then moved to America. Since Jason had been an American, marrying Maria and having Phoenix had made them American citizens as well.  
  
Phoenix looked longingly at the framed picture near the mirror. It was the whole family right after they'd moved to California. Phoenix could tell she was beginning to look exactly like her mother but with her father's clear blue eyes. She knew that wherever they were, they would have preferred to stay with her or take her with them. She knew they'd had a good reason, if it had been a willful decision.  
  
She dragged herself to her bed and collapsed in it, face-first. A half an hour later, she fell asleep with a tear-stained face. 


	2. Chapter 1

1 Chapter 1  
  
Professor Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and Professor Minerva McGonagall, Transfiguration teacher of the same school, were walking down a drafty stone corridor. McGonagall was tense and finally broke the silence. "I just don't think it's a good idea," she said.  
  
"Whatever for?" Dumbledore asked incredulously. "I thought you held Maria and Jason in more regard than that-"  
  
"Not about Phoenix, she's a special case, I understand. But, Albus, all the other Americans you're accepting this year as well?" she specified.  
  
"What about them?" he asked. "They have as much right to come here as do any other student."  
  
"_I_ agree, of course, but on the whole, I don't think the magical community would," she pointed out. "They might add it to your already highly questionable list of accomplishments."  
  
"Highly questionable?" Dumbledore repeated.  
  
"Well, to start off with, you let that vampire not only teach but head a House. Then you let Hagrid stay as gamekeeper and now you're accepting _Americans_ to Hogwarts," she reminded. "You're not making yourself very popular, I daresay."  
  
"I take responsibility only for Hagrid," he said coolly. "Angel was approved by the ministry and he has been a very good teacher in his time here. As for the Americans, there is no reason they shouldn't be allowed to enter the school."  
  
"Yes but they have their _own_ school in America that they could attend that's just as good as ours," she said.  
  
"Forgive me if I sound vain but it's not and you know it," he said firmly. "Besides the American Institute of Magic isn't nearly as selective as we are and is far too crowded. We'd be doing them a favor."  
  
"I hope you know what you're doing," she said, shaking her head.  
  
"You don't trust me," Dumbledore stated.  
  
"Of course I trust you!" she said, glaring at him. "However, I _don't_ think you always make the best choices."  
  
"Things change, Minerva, they must," he said. "We can't stop it, only help it."  
  
"How will the Americans get here?" she asked, changing the subject.  
  
"I'll send Hagrid around with their letters so he can help explain and they'll meet him at the Portkey destination," he said.  
  
She sighed. "If you must you must. Very well, Albus."  
  
********************************  
  
Phoenix was deep in her books at the library. It was a few days after her birthday but, naturally, it had been overlooked at her house. Jessie however had gotten her her own book on magic; the topic Phoenix was still looking into even after half the summer. She looked up suddenly when she heard loud thuds coming from the main library and frowned before going back to her work. She was suddenly aware that the noise stopped in front of her and she looked up…and up…and up until she saw the face hidden behind a mass of curly black and smiling black eyes. The guy was about twice as tall as a normal man and wrapped in a great overcoat with huge boots Phoenix could probably stand in with room to turn. "Uh…hi," she said uneasily.  
  
"Phoenix Hart?" he boomed.  
  
Phoenix winced as his large voice sliced through the silence of the library. "Yes?" she squeaked. She cleared her thought. "I mean, yeah?"  
  
"Nice ter meet ya. Come ter give ya this," he said, the longer sentence showing he had an English accent. He handed her a thick parchment envelope.  
  
"O-OK," she stuttered, taking it. He took a seat in one of the wooden chairs at the table while she opened the envelope. She couldn't help but notice the sound the poor chair made.  
  
1.1 Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry  
  
Dear Miss Hart,  
  
We are please to inform you that you have been accepted to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Europe's top school of magic. We realize this is an unusual occurrence however, your parents were adamant about the choice of school for you. Although you live in America, the proper arrangements will be made if you decide to attend the school. Start of term begins September 1st and we await your response no later than August 15th.  
  
Yours truly,  
  
Professor M. McGonagall  
  
Deputy Headmistress  
  
Phoenix set the piece of parchment down and looked at the giant who was beaming at her. "Who are you?" she asked quietly.  
  
"Rubeus Hagrid, groundskeeper o' Hogwarts," he answered promptly.  
  
"Well, Mr. Hagrid," she said, putting the letter back in the envelope. "You can tell whoever sent you that this is a very cruel joke and I don't appreciate it." Suddenly feeling very bold, she threw the envelope at him, grabbed her things and stalked off.  
  
He caught up with her outside the library where she was leaning against the cool stone and rubbing her tears from her eyes. "Sorry miss," he said uncomfortably. "I know how dear ter ya yer parents must have be. They were great set, them two."  
  
She looked up at him. "You…you knew them?"  
  
"O' course," he said like it was obvious. "Never been a better Minister o' Magic then yer father. Mind you, Professor Dumbledore hasn't been in the position yet…"  
  
"W-what are you talking about?" she asked, holding her head.  
  
"You remember how yer father was always away on them 'business trips' o' his when you were younger?" Hagrid asked, his eyes twinkling. "He was in England dealing with the Ministry o' Magic. The only reason he didn't live there was 'cause o' yer mother. Maria loved Spain and Jason loved Maria."  
  
"Right," she said skeptically. "So what's to keep me from believing that this is all a joke, Mr. Hagrid?"  
  
"Just Hagrid's fine," he said, shrugging. "And I guess your instinct will tell ya this is real. I'll be back in two weeks." He handed her the envelope back. "You think about it."  
  
************************************  
  
True to his word, Hagrid was back in exactly two weeks. He found Phoenix at a playground, sitting on the bar that held the swings. "So what's it gon' be?" he asked.  
  
She sighed. "Say I do believe you and want to do this," she said. "What about my foster parents?"  
  
"I'll go with yer ta tell them," he said. "And if ya _really_ want to go, there's nothin' they can do ter stop ya."  
  
"They're my legal guardians, yes they can," she pointed out.  
  
He smiled. It seemed an easy thing for him to do. "You have a lot ta learn about our world. _Nothin's_ impossible if you know the right people who know how ta do the right things."  
  
She sighed, shaking her head. "I don't know."  
  
"Is that you talkin' or yer bad experiences?" he asked knowingly. She looked at him, eyes wide in surprise that he knew that. He gave her a comforting smile. "For once this is real. Swear on me dad it is. Take the chance, I promise ya won' regret it."  
  
She was quiet for a few beats. "And…you'll come with me to tell Amanda and Derek?" she asked.  
  
"We can go now if ya want," he said.  
  
She nodded, sliding down the bar.  
  
***********************************  
  
Derek and Amanda had a little denial problem as well but Hagrid had…persuaded them in the end. Before Hagrid left, he gave Phoenix a slip of paper. "In a week exactly, go to this address before noon. You'll find an old deflated basketball and make sure yer holdin' it before the hour hits. Understand?" he asked.  
  
She frowned and shrugged. "I-I guess. What'll happen?"  
  
"I'll meet ya in London!" he said casually. "See ya then."  
  
Before she could question him any further, he left.  
  
*************************************  
  
On the slip of paper there was a list of things she needed to bring with her and she was surprised that there wasn't much. But on continuing to read it, she saw that the school had uniforms that were worn most of the time. She packed up her messenger bag the night before she left and, naturally, went through everything half a dozen times. The next morning about five more times, just to be sure.  
  
Derek and Amanda were at work so she left at 11:30 to give her time to find the address. She silently cursed herself for not trying to find it earlier. Ten minutes to noon, she finally found it and picked up the flat basketball near the old Chinese restaurant in the back alley. She tossed it from hand to hand, wondering what would happen. Then, quite suddenly, something seemed to seal her hands to the worn leather and it felt like a hook had latched on behind her belly button. She was pulled forward and the ball seemed to carry her.  
  
Then her feet hit the ground and she dropped the ball. "Whoa!" she said, staggering before she sat on the hard dirt-packed ground. "Nice trip?" Hagrid's familiar voice asked jovially.  
  
She looked around as about a dozen other kids her own age appeared around her, some as disoriented as she had been but a few only needing a step or two to get coordinated as if they were used to it. She gave a fake, shaky smile as Hagrid helped her up. "Yeah," she said sarcastically. "What was that?"  
  
"Portkey. Good fer transportation," he answered before addressing the whole group. "Right, now I want you all ter follow me. Diagon Alley isn't too far from here, ya can get situated at the Leaky Cauldron."  
  
He herded the kids to a door and knocked five times in sharp succession before opening it. Stricter herding was needed as they entered the long lane full of shops and the children's bodies wondered with their eyes. "Ye'll get yer chance soon enough, don' worry," he said as he grabbed back a girl with dark auburn hair who tried to slip into a shop that sold racing flying broomsticks.  
  
She sulked and went back to her spot in the group. When they got to the Leaky Cauldron, a grubby little pub at the end of the lane, Hagrid said "Righ', now, I have a list here about who goes in what room. Yeh'll be havin' roommates so you'll get ter know at least one other person here, if yeh haven't known them before. Here ya go, pass it aroun' and find yer rooms. I'll come by later ta talk ter ya."  
  
When the list reached Phoenix, she saw a girl named Holly Wilson was in her same room. Not knowing who that was, she decided to just find the room and see who showed up. She was on the second floor in the far back, the door next to the end wall. She went in and set her bag on a bed in the corner, claiming it as her own. An auburn head suddenly poked into the room; it was the girl who'd tried to drift to the brooms. "Hey! You Phoenix?" she asked.  
  
"Yeah, you Holly?"  
  
"Bet you're butt I am," the girl said and came in, dropping her stuff on the other bed. "So where're you from?"  
  
"California," Phoenix answered, watching the other girl move around the room, checking it out.  
  
"Lucky," she muttered. "I'm from Chicago. Not a bad place but it's not California."  
  
Phoenix shrugged. "Eh. I'm glad to be here."  
  
Holly smiled. "Who isn't? So what'd your parents think when they found out you were coming here?"  
  
"Well, they were my foster parents. Apparently my real father was the old Minister of Magic in England or something like that," she explained.  
  
Holly nodded. "Hm. So'd your foster parents flip?" she asked, opening a window.  
  
Phoenix considered. "They took it pretty well."  
  
"Mine didn't," Holly said, sitting on the sill. "Dumbledore himself had to come and convince them to let me go. Gawd, it was nuts." She shook her head.  
  
"Hey, who is Dumbledore, Hagrid mentioned something about him but I had no idea what he was talking about," Phoenix said.  
  
"Oh, he's the Headmaster of Hogwarts. You know, kinda like a principal," she said. "He's a great, kinda like a mature teenager in an old guy's body and he's really nice."  
  
Phoenix nodded. "That's good. At least we know there's some decent people over here."  
  
Holly wrinkled her nose. "Yeah, but have you talked to some of the people from our own America? They'll probably make us look bad here."  
  
"Stuck up preps?" Phoenix asked knowingly.  
  
"Ugh, you know it," Holly said darkly. "Especially that little bleach- blonde, Ravyn?"  
  
"You mean that girl with the negative two pants size?" Phoenix asked.  
  
"Exactly!"  
  
"Jeez, I know! Did you see her looking around at the rest of us like we were beneath her or something?" Phoenix asked as Holly came over and sat on the bed next to her.  
  
"And that little bright green miniskirt and black top?"  
  
"'It's all the rage in New York'," Phoenix mocked with a shrill voice and over exaggerated gestures.  
  
Holly laughed. "Yeah, like she's so great because she's from the Big Apple. She wouldn't last two days away from Daddy's paycheck and penthouse."  
  
"That or she's glad to get away to make people think she's independent and a rebel," Phoenix said, rolling her eyes. She went deep into concentration. "I can just see the posse she'll create at school."  
  
"Sure you can, all you have to do is picture Ravyn times five or six," Holly pointed out. "I doubt she'll take any less."  
  
There was suddenly a knock on the door. "I got it," Phoenix said, standing to open the door.  
  
It suddenly flew open and the topic of their conversation flounced in. Bright blonde, blue eyes, fairly short, clothes that could fit a doll and a sneer on her nearly white glossy lips. "I hope you're almost done putting your stuff up here," she said in that superior voice she often used unconsciously. "Hagrid wants us downstairs, the old innkeeper didn't want him stomping all over the upper floors."  
  
"That's great, thanks," Holly said with a fake smile.  
  
Ravyn looked at the curly-haired girl and wrinkled her nose in disdain. "Haven't you ever heard of straightener? I mean, come on. That color with that style on top of that complexion? You look like a deliberate mess." She turned to Phoenix. "And the whole black-hair-with-pale-skin-goth thing is so over it seems like you purposely tried to look like an idiot."  
  
"Hey!" Holly snapped, jumping up. "Anyone ever told you that fake-bake and fried hair on top of that nasty outfit makes you look like a complete phony?"  
  
Ravyn scoffed and rolled her eyes. "You're one to talk," she snapped and stomped from the room.  
  
Phoenix snorted a laugh. "What was that supposed to mean?"  
  
Holly smiled smugly. "I cornered her and she didn't like it," she said, nodding.  
  
"Right, well she gave us a decent message, we'd better get downstairs before Hagrid sends her back," Phoenix pointed out.  
  
"Yeah." Holly sighed as her and Phoenix walked out.  
  
In the courtyard, Hagrid said "Righ', now most of you are here on a kind of scholarship so the school will pay fer yer school things only. If ya have any of yer own money or money from yer parents, yer free ta do whatever ya want with that.  
  
"OK, so ta get yer money, we'll have ta take ya ter Gringotts. When we get there, I'll see to it that ya get yer money then I'll turn ya loose so you can get yer things as long as yer back to the Leaky Cauldron before dark. You can get yer things now or later as long as ya have them in a week, seeing as that's when we're leavin'. Understand?"  
  
They all nodded and followed him back to Diagon Alley. Near the entrance they saw a large white marble building. He led them through the double doors into a giant lobby. All around them scurried creatures that were barely waist high. "What are those things?" Phoenix muttered to Holly.  
  
Before she could answer, Ravyn said "They're goblins. If you ask me, I thought it was pretty obvious."  
  
"Yeah well, no one asked you now, did they?" Holly said, annoyed.  
  
Ravyn made a face and went up to use her sick-sweet voice on Hagrid. "Hagrid, how will you be sure that some people don't use the money they get other on things besides school supplies?" She shot a distinct look back at Phoenix and Holly.  
  
"Yeah, because preps never steal," Holly said sarcastically.  
  
"Alright, that's enough, you three," Hagrid growled. "And, Ravyn, the money is differen' so the store owners know it's supposed ter be spent on school stuff. And they have a list so they know what the school stuff is."  
  
"_That's_ good," Ravyn said, giving her enemies dirty looks when the giant's back was turned.  
  
Holly made a small noise and wrapped her hands around an invisible neck. "Gawd, she makes me angry."  
  
"Calm down, Holl," Phoenix said, patting her new friend's arm. "In a few weeks, we won't even have to be seen with her."  
  
"I can't wait," the other girl said, glaring murder at the blonde's back.  
  
*****************************************  
  
Phoenix and Holly waited a few days to get over the time change before they went shopping. They did their best to steer clear of Ravyn and were successful for the most part. But when they went to get their uniforms, there she was, getting fitted. She was complaining to Madam Malkin, the owner of the shop who was also pinning the dress, about how depressing the uniforms were and couldn't she make an exception for her? As kindly as she could, Madam Malkin was telling her that it was the school's policy and she could do nothing about it. "What's the matter Ravyn, angry that you have to wear something that matches?" Holly asked sweetly, unable to stop herself.  
  
Ravyn's blonde head snapped up. "You two!" she said angrily. "What would you know about matching, you guys look like you got dressed in a closet?"  
  
Phoenix looked at her denim bibs and white long sleeved shirt then at Holly's dark green T-shirt and black jeans. "Um…how do our clothes not match?" she asked Holly.  
  
"You're color blind, aren't you, Ravyn?" Holly asked. "Is that your big secret?"  
  
"You two are the dogs, you're the ones who're probably color blind," Ravyn shot back.  
  
"Ooh…" Holly started to take a step forward but Phoenix held her back.  
  
"Hey, hey. Takes one to know one, right?" Phoenix reminded her, glaring over her shoulder at Ravyn.  
  
"That's you done," Madam Malkin said to Ravyn a little coldly.  
  
"Thankfully," Ravyn said, jumping off the stool. She pulled the simple ankle-length black dress off then all but shoved it into the short witch's face. "I'll be back for them in a hour."  
  
Madam Malkin glared after her and handed the dress to an assistant before smiling at Phoenix and Holly. "Hello, dears. Hogwarts I take it?" she asked.  
  
"Yeah. Don't worry, we Americans are all like that," Holly said, nodding to the door.  
  
"I hope not, that must be a sad country if you are," Madam Malkin said with a teasing smile. "Well, let's get you up here…"  
  
****************************************  
  
Hagrid took them to King's Cross Station a few days later and showed them onto the platform 9 ¾. There were other Hogwarts students everywhere, milling around the crimson steam engine and waiting for the departure whistle. Phoenix and Holly found a back compartment to put their trunks in and decided to hang out there for fear of running into Ravyn. When they'd been getting their books for school, Phoenix had found a book called "Hogwarts, A History" and was able to get it with the money she had left over from home. "Look at this," Phoenix said, pointing to a certain part in the book. "There's four Houses at Hogwarts, Griffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff and Slytherin."  
  
"What're Houses?" Holly asked, looking over Phoenix's shoulder.  
  
"Well, it says they're like families in the school. They have their own dormitories, Quidditch team, they have classes together, that kind of thing."  
  
"Kind of like fraternities and sororities," Holly said.  
  
"Kinda sorta in a not-really way," Phoenix said. "That's the right concept but the Houses are co-ed. There's separate dormitories but on a whole, it's combined."  
  
"I think I get it. What's the difference between them?"  
  
"According to this, Griffindors are the brave ones, Ravenclaws are the smart ones, Hufflepuffs are the nice ones and Slytherins are the clever ones. Why do I have the feeling that that's a nice way to say they're jerks?"  
  
"'Cause they are," a voice panted from the doorway. A natural blonde head looked up at them, blowing sweaty bangs from her eyes. "Hey, mind if I sit in here? Everywhere else is full."  
  
"Sure," Phoenix said, standing to help the girl pull in her heavy trunk.  
  
"Thanks," she said, her British accent adding character to her voice. "I'm Samantha but everyone calls me Sam."  
  
"Phoenix, Holly," Holly said, pointing to Phoenix then herself. "So what about Slytherin?"  
  
"Oh, they're a bunch of… I don't think there's a word for them," Sam said, wrinkling her nose. "Not nice people, I can tell you that."  
  
"Preps," Phoenix translated, nodding knowingly to Holly. "Figures."  
  
"Some things you can't escape," the other American sighed. "So what about the other Houses? You can probably tell us more than the book can."  
  
"Like the best one maybe?" Phoenix hinted.  
  
"Personally, I think Griffindor sounds nice. But Ravenclaw wouldn't be too bad," Sam added thoughtfully. "Hufflepuffs are… nice but everyone says they're a bit stupid. Don't get me wrong, I know some nice people there but… I wouldn't really want to be in it."  
  
"What're the first two like?" Holly asked.  
  
"Well, most of my family is in Griffindor," Sam said. "The really smart people usually go to Ravenclaw but then again, there's smart students in all of the houses as well. I'm not really sure how they decide."  
  
"As long as we're not with Ravyn," Holly said with a grimace. "That girl can drive you nuts just by looking at you."  
  
"Just like back in the Dakota," Phoenix said thoughtfully, nodding.  
  
Holly looked at her. "_What_?"  
  
The other girl looked down sheepishly. "It was on the Atlantis movie. Except they could smell fear-just by-looking at you…" she trailed off as the others just stared at her. She shifted uncomfortably. "Leave me alone."  
  
"It's OK, I'm sure there's help for you yet," Holly said, patting her arm. Phoenix just glared. "So what's this Quidditch we've heard about?"  
  
Sam's eyes widened. "You've never heard of Quidditch?!"  
  
"No?" Holly said nervously.  
  
"Ohmigosh, it's the best sport ever…"  
  
The rest of the trip was taken up with Sam telling them of Quidditch and the classes and teachers she'd heard about from her parents. The call came a few hours later and told them they'd be approaching the school soon and that they should get dressed. So they changed into their dresses and cloaks as the train began to slow down. They were told that their trunks would be taken to the castle separately so they were to leave them. They climbed off the train in a mass of black. The boys' uniforms were black pants and a matching button-up shirt but they also had cloaks on as well. Above the din, Phoenix, Holly and Sam suddenly heard "Firs' years! Firs' years, over here, this way, c'mon!"  
  
"Hey, it's Hagrid," Phoenix said, nodding to the towering giant who was waving the youngest students over.  
  
He scanned the faces of the first years and smiled. "Glad ter see you all here," he said. "Now if yeh'll follow me, we'll be goin' a different way than the others."  
  
He led them to a fleet of boats at a lake's edge and told them that there were to be no more than three to a boat before taking up one by himself. "Righ' then," he said. "Onward!" The little fleet began moving across the small bay they were in. "Yeh'll get yer first look at Hogwarts 'ere in a minute."  
  
As the boats rounded the corner, they saw the castle looming in the distance. It looked like carved black marble against the stormy sky, the illusion barely broken by forks of lightening. It was titanic; they could barely make out numerous stories and a massive expanse of grounds around it. Holly leaned closer Phoenix and Sam with whom she shared a boat with to mutter "I just know I'm gonna get lost in there." 


	3. Chapter 2

1 Chapter 2  
  
The students climbed onto the shore that skirted the edge of the castle grounds. Hagrid led them up a short hill where they could see the silhouette of a man standing there with his arms crossed. "I'll take them, Hagrid," he said. "You can go on in."  
  
"I'll do that, Angel," he said. "See yeh in there."  
  
He lumbered past Angel who was at least six feet but look about three next to Hagrid. The shorter man turned to look at the first years, his features briefly illuminated by lightening; his hair was dark and spiked up, his matching eyes studying the first years carefully. His solid, broad- shouldered frame was covered in a dark red velvet shirt and they could have sworn he wore leather pants, secured by a belt. "OK, so you're the new bunch of first years. I know this'll be good," he added. Phoenix couldn't help but notice that his accent wasn't European at all, but American. "So, in a minute, you'll go into the school and be Sorted into Houses. Before that though, there are a few ground rules you should know: for one, the Forbidden Forest if off limits, believe me, you don't want to be in there any way. Two, there is a curfew in the castle and if you're found outside of your House without a good excuse, you'll regret it. Now, there are several more than that but they'll be explained later, I'm sure none of your teachers will hesitate to tell them to you but I'm personally saving my speech until your first class with me. Now that that's out of the way, let's get going."  
  
He led them to the front of the castle and pulled open a set of giant wooden doors, holding it open for them. "Hm… I wonder what he teaches," Sam muttered.  
  
"Health, I hope," Holly quipped.  
  
"We don't have health here, Holl," Phoenix reminded.  
  
"I knew that," Holly said with a sincere nod.  
  
Angel went to another set of doors and jerked his head, signaling them to come over. He pushed the doors open and light and noise spilled over the first years. Apparently the other students had arrived before them and were now getting reacquainted. They quieted down as Angel led the first years past the four tables draped in a set of colors each; gold and red on one; silver and green on another; black and yellow on the next; and blue and bronze on the last one. The High Table at which all the teachers sat was covered in pure white. In the center was an old man with long white hair and beard. To his right was a severe looking witch with black hair pulled back into a tight bun and an emerald green cloak resting on her shoulders. The chair to his left was empty. Sam was hissing information to Phoenix and Holly under her breath. "OK, the table with the gold is Griffindor, the one with the black and yellow is Hufflepuff, the blue is Ravenclaw and the green and silver is Slytherin. You probably could have figured out Slytherin just by the looks they're giving the other tables. The old man in the center of the High Table is Dumbledore and think the woman on his right is McGonagall, the Deputy Headmistress."  
  
"Who sits on the other side of him?" Phoenix asked.  
  
"Beats me but I would imagine that Angel guy," Sam said with a shrug.  
  
"Alright, line up and prepare for my start-of-the-year-speech-for-first- years," Angel said, waving to the general area in front of the High Table and indicating that the first years should face the House Tables. When they were in place, he paced up and down the line, rubbing his hands as he looked at them. "First years at Hogwarts are always fun but from what I hear, this year will have a bit more kick in it. Now we have Americans to add to the mix. How many do we have, Hagrid?"  
  
Hagrid looked up. "Baker's dozen, I think, Angel," he said.  
  
Angel nodded. "That's a nice chunk. Personally I'm kind of curious as to how this will work. Not only grades and the like but also what Houses you'll be Sorted to. Now all of you, no matter the country, will get the chance to be in the greatest House of Griffindor…" He paused to look at the red-and-gold clad table that erupted into cheers and smiled at them. "Which I personally head. But then again, your tastes may very. Your idea of the greatest House might be Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff or even Slytherin. Whichever one you're sorted to, I'm sure you'll ultimately enjoy it there.  
  
"Now I'm sure you know that there are groups everywhere you go, no matter the country, social class or age range. You have the overall groups, like the different schools; break that down to Houses, then years, then personal friends. No matter what you look at though, there are always the ones with the certain roles. You have the leader, the reckless one, the nutcase, the cool one… and then you have my personal favorite: the badass. The one who openly swims against the tide and purposely does things the others don't like just because they don't like it. Guess who the badass with the teachers is? I'm sure it's not hard to figure out, I'm the only one willing to get seriously down and dirty when it comes to arguing with the students, I'm the only one who'll go into sporadic swear words when I'm on a role and I'm usually less mature than the ones I teach because my colleagues don't like it and let's face it, you guys have more fun anyway."  
  
He paused as cheers and whistles erupted from the other students at the tables. Phoenix noted that the Slytherins, for the most part, stayed quiet. Angel noticed this too. "I swear, Snape teaches you Slytherins to hate me," he said. "Is that like a required course in your dungeon, How To Hate Angel 101?"  
  
"Angel," Dumbledore said warningly.  
  
"I'm sorry, where was I?" he said. "Ah yes, my role in the teaching community. I am a rare find and I'm sure some of you know why. If you do, I'd appreciate it if you kept it to yourself, at least until my first class when they'll find out anyway.  
  
"So enough of my rambling, onto the Sorting!" he said, going by the High Table and returning with a stool, a battered old wizard's hat and a scroll of parchment. "It's easy enough, I say your name, you come over and sit on the stool with the hat on. When it says your House and drops your key, you go to the table. Fair enough? All right. Ravyn Aaronson."  
  
The blonde head immediately separated from the line of first years and went over to Angel. She gave him a sugary sweet smile that would give someone a cavity and tossed her hair in what could have been a seductive way if she were about ten years older. "I think I'm gonna be sick," Holly said, holding Sam's shoulder for support.  
  
"I don't think he's impressed, check it out," Phoenix said with a smile, nodding to Angel. The man was looking at the bleach-blonde with a raised eyebrow and skeptical expression.  
  
"Thank gawd, he's not an idiot," Holly said gratefully.  
  
Ravyn sat on the stool and set the hat on her head. The hat paused before screaming "SLYTHERIN!" to everyone in the Great Hall, scaring the first years witless. The other students laughed as the younger ones jumped.  
  
Ravyn suddenly jumped and gasped, yanking off the hat and slapping the top of her head. Her hand found a set of dangling earrings with emerald studs in them. She sighed and sat the hat back on the table before going to the table with the rest of the Slytherins. There was a set of Conways, both boys who looked incredibly similar but one went to Slytherin and the other went to Ravenclaw. Some more people then "Phoenix Hart!"  
  
Phoenix breathed deep and went straight to the stool, not bothering to look at Angel on her way by him. She pulled the hat on and it fell over her eyes, throwing the world into darkness. She expected the hat to take a few minutes like it had with most of the others but she'd only had it on a few seconds when it yelled out "GRIFFINDOR!"  
  
She suddenly felt something very heavy hit her head and yelped, pulling the hat off as tears ringed her eyes. She refused to let them fall but it had hurt. She pulled down a golden bracelet-looking thing about an inch wide with designs and ruby studs circling it. She hesitated, not knowing what it was. Angel saw and immediately went over, purposely blocking her burning face from the other students. "Trade me," he said, offering the scroll. She took it, handing him the piece of jewelry. He looked at it then nodded. "Arm ring. These are rare, you must be special."  
  
She gave a shaky smile as he pulled her cloak back and slipped the ring over her hand, pushing it up to her upper arm. He nodded toward the Griffindor table and she took the hint, handing him the scroll before finding a place amid a few empty seats.  
  
Samantha Henderson was next and she became a Griffindor as well with a new ring to prove it. They had to wait a little longer for Holly since her last name was "Wilson" but were ecstatic when she was announced a Griffindor as well. She had Sam help her fasten on her new necklace. There were a few more people before they were all gone and Angel returned the scroll to Dumbledore as he took his place on the Headmaster's left side. The old man stood up to address the students himself. "Welcome to another year at Hogwarts," he said, surprisingly loud for his age. "You should all know that Quidditch trials will be held in late October, please consult your House team captain if you wish to try out if, of coarse, you are not a first year. Any other announcements will be made my your teachers, Head of House or older students. Enough of this chatter and enjoy the feast!"  
  
Frowning, Phoenix looked to the tables and her eyes widened as they suddenly were full of food. Her and her friends gratefully began to dig into it, feeling starved. "So what's Angel's big secret?" Holly asked an older Griffindor around a mouth full of mashed potatoes.  
  
"Alas, we're sworn to secrecy," the dirty blonde boy she asked said regretfully. Off her look, he shrugged. "Hey, I'm sorry but I had to go through the same thing last year. And his classes were the last ones I went to, I think you're gonna have it better than me."  
  
"So you're in your second year?" Phoenix asked after swallowing a bite of chicken.  
  
"Yeah," he said, nodding. "Name's Aaron. I love this place, I'm gonna hate it when I graduate. It's already more home to me than London."  
  
"I'm Sam," she said. "That's Holly and Phoenix."  
  
"You two are Americans?" he asked, looking at Holly and Phoenix.  
  
Holly smiled. "How could you tell?" she asked rhetorically.  
  
He shrugged. "Lucky guess. So hey, did you get a load of that first Slytherin girl?" he asked, nodding to the green and silver table where Ravyn was fitting right in with her other Housemates. "I know she's not the first to like Angel but I think she's the most open about it."  
  
"What was that Angel said about Snape teaching the Slytherins to hate him?" Phoenix asked.  
  
"On to the next comment: she probably won't like him for long. Snape heads Slytherin House and him and his students hate Angel and his Griffindors," Aaron explained.  
  
"How come?" Holly asked.  
  
"Well, asking a Griffindor? Slytherins think they're the best and hate the Griffindors who really are," Aaron said.  
  
"What would a Slytherin say if we asked them?" Sam asked.  
  
"That they're the best and we're stuck up," Aaron answered, stabbing a corner of his steak. He shook his head. "I swear you'll not find more annoying people anywhere."  
  
"I believe it," Holly said, swishing the remaining mashed potatoes with her corn. "If all Slytherins are like that Ravyn…"  
  
"They probably are," Aaron said. "They tend to be a lot alike. Oh, and one thing you need to be careful of is that they travel in packs. Never go anywhere after classes alone if you can help it. They love prowling around and looking for any student from another House to beat up, especially Griffindors. Their favorite trick is to cast some kind of hex or curse on the victim so they can't tell on them."  
  
"If they can't tell anyone, how do you know the Slytherins do this?" Phoenix asked.  
  
Aaron eyed her and pointed at her. "You got a good head on your shoulders, Angel would like you," he said. "But, to answer your question, some people come up with bruises, black eyes and the like and not able to tell what happened to them. Slytherins are the only real ones who have the kind of personality to do that thing unprovoked so…"  
  
"Well, can't they bust them for it?" Holly asked.  
  
Aaron shook his head. "As Snape so often points out, there's not enough saying that his students did do it. And if there was, he'd probably lie to get his kids out of trouble, he favors them so much."  
  
"Isn't that, kind of, I dunno, wrong?" Phoenix asked.  
  
"Things are different here," he said. "Dumbledore trusts his teachers to make the right choices. Unfortunately it's only the students who dislike Snape and even then, it's only ¾ of us, Slytherins adore him. And he favors them so much it's disgusting. He gives them points out the arse for the stupidest things and takes points from everyone else for everything."  
  
"Points?" Sam repeated.  
  
"Yeah, it's a great way for the teachers to keep us in line since the Houses are already so competitive," he said. "Students are rewarded points for their Houses as rewards but taken away as discipline. At the end of the year, there's a big ceremony for the House who has the most points and they get the House Cup. Slytherin's won it for the past seven years, due mostly to Snape I'd imagine."  
  
"What about Quidditch?" Sam asked.  
  
"Houses get points for Quidditch as well," Aaron said, nodding. "That's why team captains are always looking for the best on their team. I'm going to try out to be Keeper this year, Griffindor's just graduated last year."  
  
"Good luck," Phoenix said, lifting her goblet.  
  
*******************************************  
  
When everyone had had their fill of the main coarse, the food disappeared and was replaced by dessert. This part was much shorter since everyone barely had enough room for it as it was. When everything was gone, Dumbledore stood and clapped his hands.  
  
Phoenix had noticed that all throughout dinner Angel had no plate but was drinking deeply from a goblet and repeatedly filled it with a pitcher set in front of him that no one else touched. Her attention was pulled from trying to see the contents of the pitcher as the teacher poured himself another gobletful when Dumbledore spoke. "Now, I'm sure you'll all want to be well-rested for your classes tomorrow so I will now ask that the Heads of Houses take your students back to your dormitories so they will not replenish their energy during your lectures."  
  
"'Replenish our energy'?" Holly asked Aaron as the stood.  
  
"Sleep," Aaron smiled. "Dumbledore's good and making one word into about three or four and still make it sound good."  
  
Angel downed the rest of his goblet and stood up. "Alright, Griffindors, this way!" he called over the rising din.  
  
They followed him from the Dining Hall, down a marble corridor and off to another. Phoenix paid careful attention to her surroundings, noticing that they went behind a few tapestries and through revolving parts of walls. Finally they ended up in front of a large portrait of a massive lady in a pink dress. Angel turned to the students. "Now I know the others know this but the first years don't. There's a password to get into Tower but if you don't have the thing that the Sorting Hat gave you, the password is useless. The entrance is double protected, just in case. For now, the password is 'nobility'."  
  
At once, the portrait swung open as if on hinges and revealed a gaping hole behind it. Angel stayed at the hole and helped everyone through before going in himself and closing the portrait-door. Inside was a large round room full of squashy armchairs and a large fireplace that was currently unlighted. There was a large doorway at the end of the room as well. "Right, girls to the right, boys to the left, for emergencies, I'm down the center. Good night."  
  
The students filed through the door and split into their genders at the doorway. There were spiraling staircases to both sides and short corridor down the center at the end of which they could see a closed wooden door. Sam, Phoenix, Holly and two other girls named Michelle and Sierra went up and up the girls' staircase until they reached a door that was labeled "First Years" by a bronze plaque. They went through and saw another circular room, this one smaller with five four-poster beds hung with red velvet around it, and their trunks at the foot of each of them. On the right side of each bed was a bedside table and a light lantern above it. "Bed, bed, bed," Holly said in the monotone voice of a robot as she walked stiff-legged to the bed that had her trunk at the end. She opened her trunk and sifted through the contents. "Pajamas…"  
  
"That's why you put the most important thing on top," Phoenix said, pulling her sweat pants and t-shirt off of the rest of her uniforms. She went onto her bed and pulled the curtains so she could have privacy while she changed.  
  
"So how many of you are Americans?" Michelle asked as she followed Phoenix's example. Soon everyone's voice was slightly muffled by the hangings.  
  
"Just me and Phoenix," Holly said. "We met Sam on the train."  
  
"They're pretty nice for a couple of Yanks," Sam's voice said teasingly.  
  
"Where in America are you from?" Sierra asked.  
  
"Los Angeles and Chicago," Phoenix said. "We city-slickers."  
  
"Does anyone know our class schedule?" Michelle asked. "Yank or Brit, I don't care who answers if you can save me from embarrassment."  
  
"I think we get them in the morning," Sam said, the first to pull back her hangings. Phoenix pulled the ones of her foot back so she could replace her uniform in her trunk before blowing the lantern out at the side of her bed.  
  
"I hope so. I don't know what it's called but that's my main fear," Michelle said, shivering. "I think it's some kind of phobia."  
  
"I'll find it for you," Phoenix promised sleepily, falling face first into her pillows. "Good night, everyone."  
  
  
  
********************************************  
  
So that's it. Whattcha think? I'll continue writing on this regardless but whether I update or not of ff.net depends on reviews so R/R if ya wanna see more!! Thanks a bunch. –Fyrbird 


	4. Chapter 3

1 Chapter 3  
  
A gentle buzzer woke then up the next morning. "Somebody turn that thing off!" Holly said from under her pillow.  
  
"I think it's supposed to wake us up," Sam said.  
  
"But why?" Holly snapped. "Need sleepy…"  
  
"Need to go to class," Michelle said, stumbling from her bed and throwing open everyone's hangings.  
  
"No!" Phoenix cried, pulling her covers over her head. "Evil light kills!"  
  
"Evil teachers do worse," Michelle reminded.  
  
"Sounds like fun," Sierra joked.  
  
"It won't be, I've heard of some of their detentions here," Michelle said seriously. "I knew this one guy who said that they took him the Forbidden Forest for a night."  
  
"No way," Sam said, opening her trunk.  
  
"It's true. This person had a fear of lying, he couldn't do it to save his life," Michelle insisted.  
  
"I personally would rather be safe than sorry," Phoenix said, going to her trunk. She frowned at the slip of paper on top of it. "Hey, what's this…oh, schedules! Check it out."  
  
They gathered around her and looked. "Potions, Astronomy _and_ Defense Against Dark Arts with Slytherins?" Sierra asked. "What are they thinking?"  
  
"I believe that it's called a cruel irony," Michelle said, taking the schedule. "But I _do_ think they did it on purpose."  
  
"Did what?" Phoenix asked blankly.  
  
"Angel teaches Astronomy and Defense Against Dark Arts. _Snape_ teaches Potions," Michelle explained.  
  
"Ew, that doesn't even sound fun," Holly said, making a face.  
  
"I don't imagine it would be," Sam said.  
  
"Figures," Phoenix muttered. "I was looking forward to Potions."  
  
****************************************  
  
On top of everything, they had the three classes on the same day. Fortunately it wasn't their first day. Their first class of the year the first years had was Charms with a tiny professor named Flitwick. He stood on his desk to see all of his students as he called role. Then he amused them by showing them some things they should know by the end of the year. After Charms was Transfiguration with McGonagall. She was a strict teacher with a no-nonsense way of teaching things. They knew right off that it would be a working class but Phoenix liked her; McGonagall got down to business right away but had a talent for helping students without making them feel stupid.  
  
The rest of the day went smoothly, the only homework being from McGonagall; she wanted to make sure they knew what they were doing before they actually did it. It was far too soon that the first year Griffindors had to find their way to the dungeon for Potions. Just to be sure, Phoenix had checked her messenger bag for everything before she left so Snape wouldn't have a chance to yelp at her. She was deeply looking forward to Potions and didn't want a rotten teacher to ruin it for her. When her, Sam and Holly got there, they found a few leftover seats at the back amid the other Griffindors. The Slytherins had gravitated towards the front and Phoenix, Sam and Holly could clearly make out the blonde head in the front row, deep in conversation with a few other Slytherin girls. Snape wasn't there, even when they heard the bell ringing for the beginning of class. Suddenly the door flew open and slammed into the wall, closing behind the teacher as he stalked in. "Right, everyone will be silent and face front. You will listen to all given instructions before doing _anything_ and take notes as well. Half your grade is practical potion-making, a fourth is homework and tests and the last fourth is your notes. Am I clear?" Snape said all this as he walked to the front and stood behind his desk.  
  
Several heads nodded but no one spoke. "Good," he said and sat down, looking at the roster. "Ah, Slytherins and…Griffindors. How interesting. And we have Americans in this class. I think this is my first one I've had the honor of hosting the foreigners. How many are in here?"  
  
Ravyn sat straight-backed and raised her hand with a flick of her wrist while another Slytherin boy raised his hand in a bored, casual way and Phoenix and Holly sort of waved theirs in the back, accompanied by the three other Griffindor American boys.  
  
"Several then?" Snape said, looking at his roster again. "Ravyn, Adam, Phoenix, Marcus, Zhaine, Holly and Will?"  
  
They nodded.  
  
"Very well. Can any of you tell me what alchemy is? Or maybe what wolfsbane is used for?" he asked, standing as he checked the roster, counting students and names.  
  
Both key words set of a cathedral of bells in Phoenix's head and her hand shot up before her mind registered. Snape looked directly at her then away. "Anyone?"  
  
Phoenix's mouth dropped open and she tried to raise her hand higher, waving it a little while Ravyn pulled out her Potions book to look through it. Adam, the other American Slytherin, saw Phoenix at the back of the room about to stretch her arm out of its socket and raised his hand. "Yes?" Snape asked, something resembling a smile twisting his lips.  
  
"Uh, I'm not sure, but I think she might know," he said, jerking his head back to Phoenix.  
  
Snape's gaze turned murderous but, as Adam had suspected, the teacher wouldn't condemn one of his own. "I'm sorry, I didn't see you," Snape said silkily to Phoenix. "Do you know the answer?"  
  
"Yes!" Phoenix breathed, putting her hand down. "Alchemy is the process of turning ordinary substances into gold, thought to be impossible and wolfsbane is said to ward off werewolves."  
  
"That is not entirely correct," Snape said maliciously. "Alchemy _is_ possible and wolfsbane _does_ ward off werewolves. Be _sure_ of something when you answer my questions."  
  
For the second time in the past five minutes, Holly closed Phoenix's mouth.  
  
*********************************************  
  
"That man will _die_, slowly and painfully," Phoenix growled as they walked down the corridor to their Defense Against Dark Arts class. "'Not entirely correct', I don't think _he's_ entirely correct!"  
  
Holly snorted a laugh. "That was good!"  
  
"What did you expect, he favors them," Sam pointed out. "We're his House's rival House, he's not going to be nice to us if he can help it."  
  
They paused outside of a room. "Is this the right place?" Phoenix asked, peeking through the cracked door. It was pitch black inside.  
  
"First years Defense Against Dark Arts, Griffindors and Slytherins, enter!" Angel's voice said from inside.  
  
"OK," Holly said with a frown.  
  
They slipped in and made their way to the front by feeling alone. "_What_ is going on in here?" Ravyn's high-pitched voice suddenly asked. "Where's the lights, I can't see anything!"  
  
"Leave them off," Angel said coolly. It sounded as if he were at the front of the room. "Just find a chair and sit."  
  
Phoenix, Sam and Holly heard them stumbling around much like they had themselves. After the bell rang and it was established that everyone was in their seats, Angel said, "OK, now that everyone's hear, we'll get started."  
  
They heard him beginning to walk, his boots making enough noise that they would have been able to tell where he was even if he wasn't talking. "I'm sure that with your introduction to the magical community you've learned that things are very different than what you thought, if you weren't born into a magical family. But then again, even some of our pure bloods here look at their lives all wrong. They see it as, they've been raised around it, so it is. In this class, I will make sure you look at everything around you for what it really is. Your life may often depend on it." His voice was now to the back of the room, near the door. "Even those in the magical community take too much for granted. I'm going to teach you that _nothing_-"  
  
A fire roared to life at the front of the room, the lanterns lining the walls following it magically to properly illuminate the room. Angel straightened up in front of the fire to see shocked faces and grinned, amused. "Is ever what it seems," he finished. He moved around and leaned against his desk. "Now who can tell me how I did that?"  
  
A bunch of dumb-founded faces stared back at him, the overall feeling of "huh?" hanging like a curtain in the room. Suddenly Phoenix's eyes widened and her mouth dropped as her hand shot up.  
  
Angel immediately noticed her and made full eye contact. "Yes?"  
  
"You're a vampire!" she said triumphantly.  
  
Angel went to say something but a loud scoffing cut her off. "You know, Phoenix, there's a saying that goes 'it's better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak up and remove all doubt'," Ravyn said, arms crossed as she leaned back in her chair, feeling superior.  
  
Phoenix hung her head, her face burning with embarrassment. Angel frowned deeply, his hurt Griffindor affecting his own judgment. He stood up and walked over to Ravyn's desk. "What's your name?" he asked.  
  
She smiled, looking at him from under long eyelashes. "Ravyn Aaronson," she said, looking rather pleased with herself. She should have known it wouldn't have lasted.  
  
"Well, Ravyn, with that saying you have a very good point and I'm so glad you've demonstrated it for us," he said, his voice a bit lower than they'd heard it, no trace of humor in his eyes as he gave the Slytherin girl a hard look. "Because she's right."  
  
Ravyn suddenly gave a strangled cry and slid her chair back a little when Angel growled, showing fangs.  
  
He returned to his spot on his desk, turning much kinder eyes to Phoenix. "Phoenix, right? How'd you figure it out?"  
  
Phoenix let out a long sigh. "Um…well, first of all, Defense Against Dark Arts and Astronomy are two of the _very_ few classes that can be taught by experience. Vampires can only be out at night so, Astronomy, and vampires are Dark creatures so they would know a lot about the Dark Arts."  
  
"I know of some demons that are the same way, why'd you choose vampire? Lucky guess?" he asked.  
  
"More like educated guess," she said thoughtfully. "Every time I saw you at the Dining Hall, you were always drinking, never eating and the other teachers _never_ touched _your_ pitcher. Plus, I saw that it had some red stuff in it when you poured it."  
  
He smiled. "_That's_ what I'm talking about," he said to the rest of the class. "Pay attention, put things together and you can come up with answers to the most difficult questions out there. Like how could the Hindus make Kama Sutra into _such_ a big book and why is it that peach fuzz is _good_ but fuzz on any other kind of food is bad?"  
  
He waited out the laughs, mostly from the Griffindors before continuing. "OK, now being serious, I can be your favorite teacher," he said, pacing the front of the room. "As a matter of fact, I know I'm most students' favorite. But, as you already found out, I'm _am_ rather protective of my Griffindors. However, unlike other teachers, I don't favor them academically or any other way. The grade you get in my class is the one you've earned and deserve. But, as you've witnessed, don't bother my students or I'll bother you back. I don't give them special allowances but I do tend to stick up for them more than the others. Just so you know, don't mess with them anywhere where I might be lurking." He looked pointedly at Ravyn as he said this. "Right, so that's twenty points for Phoenix since she was the first ever to figure it out without having me spell the answer out to her."  
  
He smiled at Phoenix as he went back to his chalkboard. "Right, so get your books out and turn to page 56, we'll start with the less dangerous Dark creatures…"  
  
*********************************************  
  
By the time Phoenix had gotten back to the first year Griffindor girls' dormitory, she'd had her best day by far, not counting Potions, of course. She'd earned ten more points in Defense Against Dark Arts then got to show Ravyn up about three times in Astronomy when they went up to the tower to star gaze and Angel handed out points for the people who could find the constellations he named. Phoenix had never felt better when she laid down that night…  
  
************************************************  
  
Sam woke up in the middle of the night. She didn't know what strange of events had caused that particular thing to occur so she rolled over and tried to get back to sleep. Suddenly her eyes widened and she sat bolt upright, her ears picking up everything they possibly could.  
  
Crying.  
  
Across the room.  
  
_Phoenix_!  
  
Sam shot out of bed and pulled Phoenix's hangings aside. "Phoenix, are you- " She stopped suddenly, seeing her friend. Sam almost began crying herself when she saw her; Phoenix was curled into a tight ball, her arms wrapped around her head and she was choking back sobs, gently rocking herself. Sam crawled next to her, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Phoenix, what's wrong?" she asked. But, whatever it was, Phoenix was in too much pain to say and could barely make out intelligible sentences.  
  
Stirred by the commotion, the others began to awaken. "What's going on?" Holly asked.  
  
"Go get Angel, _now_, something's wrong with Phoenix!" Sam said. "Somebody, _go_!"  
  
***************************************  
  
Angel had just gotten back from his shower and was in his sweatpants pajamas, a t-shirt on while he was out of his room. He was exhausted, his last class being an actually self-defense class for six and seventh years. He was looking forward to catching serious Zs. He was padding down the short corridor to his room when he heard the rapid footfalls of someone running. In the pitch black, not even he could make out who it was. And before he could say anything, someone slammed into him, screaming slightly in surprise. He recognized the tone as Phoenix's friend Holly. "Whoa, Holly, Holly, it's me, what's wrong?" he asked, grabbing her shoulders to calm her down.  
  
"Angel!" she gasped. "I-it's Phoenix, something's wrong with her, you have to come!"  
  
"Let's go," he said, jerking his head toward the staircase, although he knew she couldn't see.  
  
After 100 years of living in that particular tower, Angel knew his way around pretty well but let Holly lead. By the time they got back to the dormitory, Sierra and Michelle were by Sam, trying to get Phoenix to tell them something but all the shorter girl could do was moan in pain. "Move," Angel said curtly. They quickly obeyed and he knelt by Phoenix's bed. He smoothed her tear-soaked and sweaty hair from her face, keeping his voice gently and soothing. "Phoenix. What's wrong?"  
  
"I-i-it h-hurts," she sobbed.  
  
He looked at her and nodded. "We're going to the hospital wing, come on," he said, pulling her legs so they could hang off the bed. He held her until she got her balance but her legs buckled and she crumpled to the floor.  
  
"How can we get her there if she can barely move?" Sam asked worriedly, kneeling by her friend again.  
  
Angel looked at Phoenix, judging her weight. "Don't walk in front of me," he said shortly, and scooped her up. He held her like a baby, clutching her close to his chest so he could move faster.  
  
Angel and the whole of the first year girls' dormitory ran through the corridors of Hogwarts to get to the hospital wing. "Someone should have come ahead of us, dammit!" Angel cursed, kicking the door, wincing as his bare foot his the hard wood.  
  
Sam and Michelle were able to pound the door hard enough to wake Madam Pomphry, the school nurse. "Wake is going on out here-Angel!" the short little witch asked, opening the door. "What happened?"  
  
"We don't know, Holly ran into me and told me something was wrong with Phoenix," Angel said, coming into the hospital wing. "It seems like she's got a monster migraine or something."  
  
"Lay her down," she said quickly, motioning to a bed.  
  
Angel quickly did as he was told and stepped back. As Madam Pomphry examined her, the vampire and other girls waited helplessly. "It was Ravyn!" Holly suddenly burst.  
  
Angel frowned deeply. "What?"  
  
"I saw her, near the end of Astronomy, right after Phoenix pointed out that Ravyn thought the Big Dipper was on Orion's belt," she said.  
  
"Hey, yeah!" Sam said in realization. "Ravyn was glaring at her like it was the only thing keeping her alive and muttering something."  
  
"A curse," Angel muttered. He looked back at Phoenix who cried out again, despite Madam Pomphry's attempts to comfort her. Angel growled and stalked from the room.  
  
***********************************************  
  
Severus Snape sat in the teacher's lounge, reclining in an armchair near the fire, a book open on his lap. Minerva McGonagall was at the table grading papers and Dumbledore was near-by talking to Flitwick about something both of them had deemed important. On any other night, the teachers would be asleep like their students but there was no class the next day so they were doing other things. The door suddenly flew open and slammed into the wall, nearly coming off its hinges. Angel came in, purpose in his step. "Angel, what's going on?" McGonagall asked as he swept past her.  
  
Snape's eyes widened as he realized that the vampire was coming after _him_. Before he could move, Angel had grabbed him and slammed him against the wall. "You can't protect them now, I have witnesses!" Angel yelled in the Potion Master's face.  
  
"Angel, what's the meaning of this?" Dumbledore demanded, standing.  
  
"One of my Griffindors is in the hospital wing, crying in agony because one of _his_ little vermin cursed her," Angel said, never taking his eyes from Snape and pushing him against the wall once more for emphasis.  
  
"You can't prove anything," Snape said, pushing Angel back.  
  
Angel took deep, unnecessary breaths to try to keep his temper under something resembling control. "I have two kids saying they saw your little female American working some jinx her, the _hell_ I can't prove it."  
  
"If my Slytherin _did_ do something to your student, the little brat probably deserved it!" Snape shot back.  
  
"Severus!" McGonagall cried, aghast.  
  
Angel did one better, grabbing Snape and slamming him into the wooden table, causing the Deputy Headmistress to cry out as her papers flew everywhere. "Don't you _ever_ talk about my students like that!" Angel roared. "Or I'll give you what _you_ deserve!"  
  
"Angel, release him," Dumbledore said, switching to his do-what-I-say-_now_ voice.  
  
Angel slammed Snape into the wood one more time before stepping back.  
  
"Now what happened?" the Headmaster asked calmly as Snape moved far away from Angel.  
  
"Phoenix Hart, _Jason_ Hart's daughter is in the hospital wing crying her eyes out because, near as we can tell, she has the mother of all migraines. I had to _carry_ her down there, she couldn't even walk," Angel said.  
  
"Are you sure she's not faking it?" Snape asked snidely.  
  
Angel had a sudden strong urge to vault over the table and send the uppity bastard out the window. Dumbledore seemed to sense this. "Why do you think Snape's students are involved?" he asked.  
  
"Holly Wilson and Samantha Henderson both say they saw Ravyn cursing Phoenix-"  
  
"You don't know it was a curse," Snape interrupted.  
  
"No but it would make sense, Phoenix was repeatedly proving her intelligence over your snake," Angel said, glaring and just _daring_ Snape to retaliate.  
  
"We should go see how she's doing," Dumbledore said. "Let's go."  
  
They headed to the door when Holly suddenly threw it open. She gasped for breath. "Phoenix is gonna die!" 


End file.
